The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, also known as the Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic sui iuris particular church that employs the West Syriac Rite and is in full communion with the worldwide Catholic Church, possessing self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. It is one of the major archiepiscopal churches of the Catholic Church and is headed by Major Archbishop Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos of the Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum based in Kerala, India. With more than 1096 parishes, it is one of India's largest Christian groupings.The Malankara Syrian Catholic Church traces its origins to the missions of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century.George Menachery (1973) The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, Ed. George Menachery, B.N.K. Press, vol. 2, , Lib. Cong. Cat. Card. No. 73-905568; B.N.K. Press – (has some 70 lengthy articles by different experts on the origins, development, history, culture... of these Christians, with some 300 odd photographs).Leslie Brown, (1956) The Indian Christians of St. Thomas. An Account of the Ancient Syriac Church of Malabar, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1956, 1982 (repr.)Thomas Puthiakunnel, (1973) "Jewish colonies of India paved the way for St. Thomas", The Saint Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, ed. George Menachery, Vol. II., Trichur. The Church employs the West Syriac Rite Divine Liturgy of Saint James and is one of the two Eastern Catholic churches in India, the other being the Syro-Malabar Church which employs the East Syriac Rite liturgy.
After the Coonan Cross Oath in 1653, the Malankara faction (Puthenkūttukār) split from communion with the Catholic Church, and supported Archdeacon Thoma I in resisting the authority of the Latin Catholic Portuguese Padroado. They entered into communion with the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch and Archdeacon Thoma I was consecrated as bishop by Mor Gregorios Abdul Jaleel. After this, the Malankara Church began to adopt the West Syriac Rite liturgy from the Syrian Orthodox Church.
Mor Geevarghese Ivanios, a bishop of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, began a movement in the Malankara Church to reunite with Rome in the 1920s. Mor Ivanios started negotiations with the Holy See in 1926 and two bishops including Mor Ivanios, a priest, a deacon and a layman were received into the Catholic Church together in 1930.
The Malankara Syrian Catholic Church was formed on 20 September 1930 under the leadership of Mor Ivanios, the first Archbishop of the church.
By 1950, there were some 65,588 faithful, and in 1970, 183,490. There are now over 400,000 faithful in over 12 dioceses in India and across the world.
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is one of two Eastern Catholic Churches in India, the other being the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, which represents the faction of Pazhayakuttukar, which remained in full communion with Rome after the Coonan Cross Oath and employs the East Syriac Rite.
History
Pre-Coonan Cross Oath
The St. Thomas Christians, also known as Nasranis, are an ancient Christian community in India with origins traditionally traced to the evangelistic activities of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century AD. Situated primarily in the southwestern state of Kerala, the St. Thomas Christians developed a unique identity blending elements of Indian and Syriac Christian traditions. They maintained a hierarchical ecclesiastical structure, often aligning with the East Syriac Church (under the Church of the East) and later the Chaldean Catholic Church. The community largely followed Eastern Christian liturgy, practiced Syriac liturgical traditions, and were in communion with the Patriarch of the East based in Persia.
The arrival of Portuguese explorers in India in the late 15th century marked the beginning of significant European influence on the St. Thomas Christians. The Portuguese sought to bring the Indian Christians into conformity with the Latin Church and asserted their religious and administrative control through the establishment of the Diocese of Goa. This led to tensions, as the Portuguese pressured the community to abandon Eastern practices and adopt Latinized customs, culminating in the Synod of Diamper in 1599, which formally placed the St. Thomas Christians under the jurisdiction of the Catholic Archbishopric of Goa and imposed Latin rites and customs. These measures sparked resistance among the St. Thomas Christians, who sought to preserve their traditions and ecclesiastical autonomy. By the mid-17th century, these grievances intensified, setting the stage for the historic Coonan Cross Oath.
Coonan Cross Oath
A protest took place in 1653 with the Coonan Cross Oath (Oath of the bent cross). Under the leadership of Archdeacon Thomas, the Thomas Christians publicly took an oath stating that they would not obey the Jesuit Bishops.Eugene Cardinal Tisserant, "Eastern Christianity in India"
Rome sent Carmelites in two groups from the Propagation of the Faith to Malabar headed by Fr. Sebastiani and Fr. Hyacinth. Fr. Sebastiani arrived first in 1655 and began to speak directly with the archdeacon, Thoma I. Fr. Sebastiani, with the help of Portuguese, gained the support of many, especially with the support of Palliveettil Chandy, Kadavil Chandy Kathanar and Vengoor Geevarghese Kathanar. These were the three of the four counselors of Thoma I, who along with Thoma I, had defected with Francisco Garcia Mendes, Archbishop of Cranganore, before the arrival of Sebastaini, according to Jesuit reports.
Between 1661 and 1662, out of the 116 churches, the Carmelites claimed eighty-four churches, leaving the native Thoma I with thirty-two churches. The eighty-four churches and their congregations were the body from which the Syro Malabar Church and Chaldean Syrian Church have descended. The other thirty-two churches and their congregations represented the nucleus from which the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the Malabar Independent Syrian Church (Thozhiyur Church), Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, and Syro-Malankara Catholic Church have originated.Catholic Encyclopedia profile of "St. Thomas Christians" - The Carmelite Period
In 1665, Mor Gregorios Abdul Jaleel, a bishop sent by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, arrived in India. The independent group under the leadership of the archdeacon welcomed him.Thekkedath, History of Christianity in India" Though most of the St. Thomas Christians gradually relented in their strong opposition to the Western control, the arrival of Bishop Gregorios of the Syriac Orthodox Church in 1665 marked the beginning of a formal schism among the St. Thomas Christians. Those who accepted the West Syriac liturgical tradition of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch of Gregorios became known as the Puthenkoor. Those who were in the communion of Rome after the Synod of Damper and those who rejoined the Catholic communion from the Puthenkoor church during the Carmelite period, came to be known as the Pazhayakoor.Vadakkekara, p. 84; 86.Frykenberg, p. 361.Fernando, p. 79.Chaput, pp. 7–8.
Both factions continued to use the name "Malankara", the real name of the St. Thomas Christian community for the church.
The remaining Pazhayakoor Christians came to be known as the Syro Malabar Church from the last decade of the Nineteenth century onwards.
Post-Coonan Cross Oath The 118th Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, Ignatius Abded Aloho II, went to Malankara in 1911 and excommunicated Geevarghese Mor Dionysius of Vattasseril (This excommunication was declared invalid by the High Court of Travancore). To ward off the undue interference of the Patriarch in the administration of the temporalities of the Church, Fr. P.T. Geevarghese with the blessing of Mor Dionysius contacted Ignatius Abdul Masih II, the 117th Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, who had been excommunicated by the Ottoman government in 1906, and invited him to visit Malankara and to establish an independent Catholicate. Hence, Ignatius Abdul Masih II went to Malankara in 1912 and established the Catholicate in Malankara. This created a split in the church: the faction resisting the Patriarch's administrative interference became the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, an autocephalous Church under Malankara Metropolitan and the Catholicos; the faction supporting the Patriarch's administration became the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church (known today as the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church).
Baselios Paulose I (1912–1913), the first Catholicos, died after a short period of five months on 13 May 1913; the See remained vacant until 1925.
Pre-ecclesial communion
In the early 20th century, Geevarghese Ivanios emerged as a pivotal figure in the development of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. Born on 21 September 1882 in Mavelikara, he was raised in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and later pursued education at M.D. Seminary School in Kottayam. After completing high school, he furthered his studies at Madras Christian College, earning a master's degree. In 1908, he was ordained as a priest by Geevarghese Mor Dionysius of Vattasseril and appointed principal of M.D. Seminary, a position that allowed him to shape future church leaders. Later, he accepted an invitation to teach at Serampore College in Calcutta, where he also founded a monastic community.
Upon returning to Kerala, Ivanios established the Bethany Ashram on land donated by his friend E. John Vakeel in Mundanmala, Ranni-Perunadu.Fr. Thomas Inchakkalody, Archbishop Mar Ivanios (Vol.1), pp. 152-171 This ashram, founded on 15 August 1919, served as a center for spiritual renewal and monastic life, with an additional outreach for orphan care. His monastic vision expanded in 1925 with the founding of the Bethany Madhom, a convent for women religious, inspired by the Epiphany Sisters of England.
Ivanios was consecrated as a bishop in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church by Catholicos Beselios Geevarghese I on 1 May 1925, taking the name Geevarghese Ivanios. However, he later advocated for reunification with the Catholic Church, leading a movement that ultimately established the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.
Ecclesial communion
On 20 September 1930, Mor Ivanios, Bishop Jacob Theophilos, Fr. John Kuzhinapurath OIC, Dn. Alexander OIC, and Chacko Kilileth enterered into communion with the Catholic Church. The Union Movement under the leadership of Ivanios gave rise to Malankara Catholic Church. This took place in the Quilon bishop’s chapel. They were received by his Lordship Bishop Aloysius Maria Benziger (Bishop of Quilon), whom Ivanios approached for help and who was deputed by the Holy See to perform the reception.
Post-ecclesial communion Pope Pius XI, through the Apostolic Constitution Christo Pastorum Principi of 11 June 1932, established the Syro-Malankara Catholic hierarchy for the reunited community and erected the Archeparchy of Thiruvananthapuram with the Eparchy of Tiruvalla as its suffragan. The Metropolitan Eparchy of Thiruvananthapuram was established in 1933. Ivanios was enthroned as its first Metropolitan Archbishop. The Eparchy of Tiruvalla was established in 1933. Jacob Theophilos was enthroned as its first bishop.
In 1937, Joseph Severios of the Malankara Orthodox Church joined the Catholic Church. In 1939, Thomas Dioscoros, the metropolitan of the Knanaya Jacobite Church, joined the Catholic Church. In 1938, the missionary congregation of the Daughters of Mary was founded at Marthandom in Kanyakumari District. Bishop Dioscoros died in 1943.
Ivanios consecrated Benedict Gregorios as his auxiliary bishop in 1953. Ivanios died on 15 July 1953.